COVID-19

The deadline for capital gains re-investment in a qualified opportunity zone fund is extended to July 15.

SKB says the 378,300-square-foot investment aligns with where companies are headed in a post COVID-19 world in terms of re-evaluating risks and seeking ways to benefit.

The extension comes as the Labor Department reports that 20.5 million people lost their jobs in April, pushing the unemployment rate up to 14.7%.

Returning workers are worried, particularly about office cleaning procedures and their co-workers.

The report questioned whether businesses will decide to use less office space and instead push their operations to remote or work-from-home situations.

There were 34% of 110 surveyed investors who said they would avoid investing in retail-focused real estate projects because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said a recent survey by Prequin, a data analytics company for the alternative assets community.

Extending payments and making tenants pay a premium for services are also among the options.

Thirty percent of the 125 issuers S&P Global Intelligence rates in the retail and restaurant sectors are now rated 'CCC+' or lower, implying at least a 1-in-2 chance they will eventually default.